Boy Allies in the Balkan Campaign; Or, the Struggle to Save a Nation

by Clair W. Hayes

  CHAPTER XXII.

  ATTACKED.

  Chester's exclamation was wrung from him in English. At the sound of hiswords the girl looked at him quickly and clasping her hands imploringly,cried out:

  "Don't kill me!"

  Her words were also in English and she spoke without the slightestaccent. Chester and Colonel Anderson looked at her dumfounded.

  "Are you English?" demanded Chester, taking a step toward her.

  The girl staggered back.

  "Keep away, please," she said.

  "Are you English?" repeated Chester.

  The girl recovered herself with an effort and forced herself to answerthe lad's question calmly.

  "No," she said, "I am an American."

  "An American!" exclaimed Chester. "You are an American?"

  "Yes," cried the girl, "and you will harm me at your peril. TheUnited States--"

  "Uncle Sam is a long ways off," said Chester quietly. "But I guess he cantake care of you. I, too am an American."

  "You!" exclaimed the girl eagerly, taking a step forward. Then, after aquick glance at his clothes, she shrank back.

  Chester smiled.

  "Don't judge me by these garments," he said. "I assure you I am anAmerican, and my friend here," he indicated Colonel Anderson, "is aBritish officer. My other friend," pointing to Ivan, "is a Russian. Soyou see, you are among friends."

  "Are you telling me the truth?" asked the girl fearfully, eying Chestersearchingly.

  "It is a habit I have," replied Chester quietly. "Yes, I am an Americanand if you have a mind to question me about anything American you willfind that I am telling you the truth."

  "What is your name?" asked the girl.

  "Chester Crawford."

  "Chester Crawford!"

  Again the girl looked at him searchingly.

  At last she asked: "And do you know another young American namedHal Paine?"

  "Hal!" exclaimed Chester, startled at hearing his friend's name from thisgirl whom he had, to his knowledge, never seen before. "Of course. He ismy chum. But he has never told me he knew a girl answering yourdescription."

  "Oh, I don't know him," replied the girl. "But I have heard of you bothfrom a friend--a girl friend; and if you can tell me her name, I will besure that you are Chester Crawford."

  "How can I tell you?" asked Chester. "I know several girls. Was itMary--"

  "This girl," was the reply, "you met in Belgium. If you are truly ChesterCrawford you will know who I mean."

  "Do you mean Miss Johnson--Edna Johnson?" inquired Chester.

  A happy smile lighted up the girl's face.

  "I do! I do!" she exclaimed. "It was Edna Johnson. She wrote me a letter,telling me how she met two young American boys in Belgium and giving metheir names. I have heard from her often and each time she has mentionedyour names. She wonders what has become of you."

  "Well," said Chester with a smile. "I'm here and Hal is some placebetween here and Belgrade, I expect. Now will you tell me who you are?"

  "I am Helen Ellison of St. Louis," replied the girl, extending her hand.

  Chester took the hand and turned to the others.

  "Allow me to present my friends to you," he said quietly. "ColonelAnderson, of His British Majesty's service."

  Colonel Anderson bowed.

  "And Ivan Vergoff,"--this in French. "Ivan, Mademoiselle Ellison."

  The big Cossack also bowed and acknowledged the introduction.

  The girl smiled at both of them, and Chester was glad to learn that sheunderstood French.

  "And now," he said, "if you will tell me exactly where we are, I shall begreatly obliged."

  The girl looked at him in surprise.

  "You don't know where you are?" she asked.

  Chester shook his head.

  "You are now," said Helen, "just across the Serbian border from Bulgaria.This house is the home of a friend of mine, Miss Thatcher, a Red Crossnurse. I met her in Belgrade where she was wounded. When it becameevident that the Austrians were about to occupy the city, we came to thehome of her friend here, a Serbian woman. That was before there was anytalk of Bulgaria joining Germany. But now that war has been declared--"

  "War declared!" exclaimed Chester.

  "Why, I think so. Maybe there has been no declaration of war, but anyhowthe Serbians and Bulgarians have been fighting across the frontier.That's why I was so afraid when you knocked at the door to-night."

  "And it was you who shot at me?" asked Chester.

  "Yes," replied the girl. "And, oh, I am so sorry. If--"

  "Never mind," said Chester soothingly. "You didn't hit me."

  "I know I didn't, but I--"

  "There, there, now," said Chester. "And where is your friend now?"

  "She went away this morning and she hasn't come back yet."

  "Do you know where she went?"

  "Yes; to the home of a peasant about six miles from here. His wife issick and Miss Thatcher has been attending them since she has been wellenough to do so."

  "And you were left here all along?" said Chester.

  "Yes, but I wasn't afraid until this afternoon, when half a dozenBulgarians crossed the frontier and tried to get in the house."

  "The did?" exclaimed Chester angrily. "I wish we had been here."

  "So do I," said Helen. "They knocked on the door, but I wouldn't let themin. Then they threatened to break the door down, but an officer came upat that moment and ordered them away. They went sulkily and one of themcalled back that they would return. That's why I was afraid when youknocked a little while ago."

  "And no wonder," replied Chester. "It must have been a terribleday for you."

  "It has indeed," said the girl weakly.

  Chester sprang toward her quickly and took her gently by the arms, justas it seemed she would fall over in a faint. He seated her in a chair,and poured her a glass of water from a pitcher on a nearby table.

  After drinking the water the girl appeared refreshed.

  "So foolish of me to get weak like that," she said, smiling.

  "It's no wonder," returned Chester. "It's just the reaction. You'll beall right in a minute or two."

  The lad was a good prophet; and five minutes later Helen was talking andlaughing vivaciously. All four were having a good time, when Chester'sears caught a faint sound from without.

  The lad paused as he was about to say something in reply to one ofHelen's questions and listened intently.

  "What's the matter?" asked Helen.

  "Oh, nothing," said Chester, and continued his remarks.

  A few moments later, however, he arose, and asking to be excused for amoment, stepped toward the door which Ivan had broken to permit theirentrance; just beyond he caught sight of a dark shadow.

  "As I thought," he muttered. "They have come back."

  He returned to the door of the parlor and summoned the big Cossack.

  "Oh, Ivan," he called. "Come out here a minute."

  The Cossack came up to him and Chester led him toward the door.

  "What can you see out there?" he asked.

  Ivan poked his head out and looked around.

  "Ho!" he exclaimed suddenly and leaped out.

  A moment later Chester heard the sound of a brief struggle and then Ivanreappeared dragging a man after him.

  "I've got him," said the giant, laughing loudly.

  The laughter attracted the attention of Helen and Colonel Anderson, whocame from the parlor to learn the cause of it.

  Helen gave a cry of fear as her eyes fell upon Ivan's prisoner.

  "Who is he?" she exclaimed.

  "Oh, just some fellow who was spooking around outside," replied Chester.

  But Helen was not to be fooled thus easily.

  "It is one of the Bulgarians who were here this afternoon," she cried,and addressed the man in his own tongue. Then she turned to the others."He says the others are coming," she cried. "He came on ahead of them."

  "Oh, is that so?" said Chester quie
tly. "Well, they'll have a differentreception this time."

  He told the others what the girl had learned.

  Colonel Anderson received the news quietly.

  "We'll be ready for them," he said.

  But Ivan was not so calm when he heard what Helen had told Chester.

  "So there is going to be a fight at last, eh?" he cried in a loud voice."What are a dozen or so of these Bulgarians? I know them of old. Cowardsand traitors all. I have had an experience with more than one of them. Weare good for a dozen or two of them, if we can keep them in front of us.Oh, yes, the Bulgarians are great fighters--from behind."

  "Is there any way we can fix up that door?" asked Chester.

  Colonel Anderson shook his head.

  "I am afraid not. Ivan has shattered it beyond repair."

  "Then it shall be my post to guard," cried Ivan. "No Bulgarian shall comethrough there."

  "There are not many other places they can come through," said Helen."Only two windows and a second door, in the rear of the house. I shallguard one of the windows myself."

  "You are not afraid?" asked Chester.

  "Not now, that I have friends with me."

  "All right. Colonel Anderson, I'll take this other window here, near MissEllison. You shall guard the back door."

  "The first thing to do is tie this fellow up," said Anderson, indicatingthe Bulgarian.

  Ivan stepped forward, and taking a piece of rope that Helen gave him,tied the man up tightly.

  "Now," said Chester, "to your posts. We don't want to be caughtunguarded."

  All took the places assigned them and examined their weapons. An hourpassed. Then Chester, peering through the window, exclaimed:

  "Here they come!"